Day 23 – 13.4 miles - Trudy's House, West Point, NY



Trudy, Our Wonderful Trail Angel

 Today was National Trail Day so there were many interested hikers and helpers on the trail.  Mr. Sunshine and I were lucky enough to run into a wonderful trail angel (Trudy) who offered us the opportunity to stay at her house for the night.  Wow, what a shower, shave, clean clothes and a bed can do to revive you!  We will be forever grateful for Trudy's kindness.

Mr. Sunshine and I are now hiking together.  Mr. Sunshine is a 51 year old Californian who hiked a bit of the trail last year and is back for more this summer.  He started in Harper’s Ferry and hopes to make it to Katahdin this year. 

The AT's version of Disneyland



The day was full of ups and downs.  We walked over three peaks, the last being Bear Mountain.  Bear Mountain was quite an experience, it was almost like being in Disneyland!  Because it is a popular tourist hiking attraction, stone steps have been built to help you climb the mountain with gravel pathways where there is bare trail.  I found myself wondering whether I was still on the AT!  The view from the top is magnificent with the skyline of New York visible on a clear day.  It was hazy but I could make out the skyline if I squinted my eyes.  Of course I took lots of pictures which I am hoping will show the skyline.  We were tour guides of sorts when several confused/lost Trail Day hikers needed directions back to town!

Water on the trail was terrible.  Yesterday, we had to hike a mile just to find a water source and I loaded up with 5 liters just to be safe – this load is a huge weight to add to the pack.  The water was yellow, not very appetizing.  I gave the water a double treatment of both my steripen (ultraviolet water purification device) and aqua mira (chemical tablet) to make sure it was properly sanitized.  Today we added 1.5 miles to our hike to get to a State Park where we were able to get fresh water. 



A happy backpacker - beautiful weather on the AT  -
Can you see NY in the background?

  Tomorrow I will be hiking through a zoo and after about 8 miles, will come to a monastery.  The monks let hikers set up their tents on the monastery grounds and feed the hikers if there is interest.  I may or may not stop depending on the weather (thunderstorms are predicted) since I want to keep putting on the miles.  Connecticut is in my sights – I hope to cross the State line within the next 3-4 days!